


how to care for your ducks

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Ducks, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Graduation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 06:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19806406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: While Kaoru is out on a tour, Shu is left alone to care for the rest of their family.Entry for the 1st round of ESO!





	how to care for your ducks

**Author's Note:**

> have you ever thought about kaoru having ducks? or kaoshu being the parents to ducks? well, I have some great news for you!
> 
> for real though, I've written a lot of cute things, but this one? this one made me cry a little.

UNDEAD has been on a tour for three weeks, and Shu grows restless. It’s not that he can’t survive without Kaoru, or that he has nothing else going on in his life, it’s just – well, Shu misses him. Terribly. It’s lonely to wake up in a bed without Kaoru’s warmth, even lonelier when it repeats for so many mornings.

There’s ways to keep in contact, of course. Shu swallows his distaste for mobile phones to type out long messages about his longing. He’s even studied ’emoticons’ to know what they mean when Kaoru uses them.

(The hearts are the most important. Shu has yet to discover if different heart emoticons mean different things.)

Then there’s video calls. Shu likes these more because he can see Kaoru (unlike in regular phone calls), but it’s also more frustrating because he can see but not touch.

Video calls are also trickier because they need to find a time that suits both of them – such as this morning. Shu prepares himself a croissant for breakfast before the call – they decided on a time yesterday, and Shu intends to be punctual.

The first thing Kaoru does on the call is yawn, and Shu immediately grows worried.

”Kaoru, did you get enough sleep?”

”Good morning to you too”, Kaoru laughs. ”Yeah, adequate. I’m more worried about getting Rei-kun on the plane in time.”

”It is terribly early, considering your regular sleeping habits”, Shu frowns. ”Are you sure this tour hasn’t taken a toll on you?”

”Ahaha”, Kaoru’s expression melts. ”If you’re so worried, you can dote on me all you want once I’m back home~”

”Hmh. That isn’t nearly soon enough.”

”Shu-kun.” Kaoru leans closer to his screen. ”Are you pouting?”

”I am _not_ pouting”, Shu denies immediately. ”I am merely expressing my distaste for your lack of presence in our house-”

”You are _pouting”,_ Kaoru gasps. ”Oh, how unfair of you! To be so cute when you know I can’t kiss you-!”

”Th-that’s…!”

”Yes?” Kaoru is grinning, the fiend.

”Y-you can… kiss me once you’re back…”

”But, Shu-kun.” Now it’s Kaoru who’s pouting, but Shu knows it’s for show. ”That isn’t nearly soon enough~”

”Now who’s being unfairly cute?” Shu huffs. ”The rest of you make sure that Rei wakes up on time. I couldn’t bear it if you missed your plane.”

”I know, I know”, Kaoru assures. ”It’s been so long, even a delay of few hours would be too much. I miss you all so much… are the girls doing okay?”

”I was going to check on them after the call. They were fine yesterday, don’t you worry.”

”Ahh… I’m glad.” Kaoru sighs, then laughs. ”I know you take good care of them, but I can’t help being nervous about leaving them for so long, you know?”

”I know.” Shu leans closer to the screen, as if that would somehow close the distance between them. ”I’ve been taking meticulous care of them, and you’ll find them happy and healthy when you arrive later today.”

”Hehe… I knew I could count on you.”

Kaoru seems more relaxed, now. Out of the two of them, he’s the one who’s been on the road for nearly a month, so it’s only right that Shu does what he can to alleviate any worries he might have. For Shu, it’s been enough to see that Kaoru is doing okay (missing him is an entirely different issue, however).

Besides, Shu knows Rei looks after his unit, and that includes Kaoru. _Especially_ Kaoru, since Shu frets over him every time UNDEAD makes even a weekend trip. A three-week tour had Rei coming over for tea and croissants, and Shu asking about every possible scenario that could go down.

Rei admirably found a solution to each and every imaginary problem and ailment that could befall Kaoru.

Something grabs Kaoru’s attention behind him, and when he looks back at Shu, he’s wearing a small smile.

”Is it time to drag Rei out of bed?” Shu asks, already knowing the answer.

”Yep. Though we’re prepared to just walk him to the airport while he sleeps, if it comes to that.”

”Good luck. I should check on the girls… give them breakfast.”

”Give them kisses for me, okay?” Kaoru asks.

”Hm. Considered.” Shu scrunches up his nose a bit. ”You can do that yourself in the matter of hours.”

”But they want kisses from _both_ of us-”

Kaoru looks behind him again, this time like he was startled.

”You should go”, Shu mutters. ”We’ll be fine over here, so you just make sure you get back here safely, okay?”

”Yeah”, Kaoru nods. ”I’m shutting the call, then. I’ll see you tonight… love you.”

”You too”, Shu says, and then the call disconnects.

* * *

Not long after, Shu enters their yard. He goes straight to the small wooden shed installed there, and as soon as he reaches for the door, he can hear quacking from inside the shed.

As soon as he opens the door, a duck comes out and starts circling his legs, quacking loudly.

”Is something the matter?” Shu frowns. ”Is Daffodil okay?”

He kneels down to quickly inspect Dandelion. Everything seems to be okay for her, except for the agitated state she’s in. What about Daffodil, then? Shu steps inside the shed, and there she is, in the corner she’s favoured for the whole month Kaoru has been away.

”Daffodil, are you doing good over there?” Maybe something has gone wrong with her food? Shu carefully created her diet after she had been gaining weight, and not long after Kaoru left, she seemed to slim down to a good weight for a duck.

”Let me just come… over…”

Something peeps then, a sound distinctively different from a duck quack. Another peep, _more_ peeps, as if there were multiple birds – because that’s what they are, bird sounds, but definitely not _duck_ sounds.

”Daffodil? Is there another bird in here? Even though the doors are closed during the…”

Then he sees them. Up where Daffodil is, are those other birds. Except they’re very small and very stumbly, and…

Well, if Shu were to describe them, he would say _ducklings_.

That’s impossible, though, isn’t it?! Their ducks certainly haven’t been in contact with any other ducks, so for them to have fertile eggs…!

”Daffodil”, Shu can hear his voice break from shock, ”are these _yours?”_

Daffodil quacks happily, as if she could understand him. Dandelion struts up from behind Shu and to Daffodil, then begins grooming her.

”Dandelion? Listen, you two, I need an – an explanation for – for this –”

Naturally, the ducks don’t give him an explanation.

”Oh, no”, Shu mutters. ”Whatever will I say to… Kaoru left me with _two_ ducks, and now there’s…”

He steps closer to take a look. He can see multiple small heads, but they’re all very safely tucked under Daffodil, despite trying to constantly wriggle out.

”Daffodil”, Shu says sternly. ”Have you been in illicit contact with a boy duck? Without the permission of your parents? I could believe this kind of behaviour from Dandelion, but not you! You were such a sweet girl…”

He looks at Dandelion, still grooming Daffodil. Wait. What if…

”Dandelion”, Shu gasps. ”You’re not…?”

Dandelion quacks at him.

”Oh my dear heavens”, Shu wails. ”This is a _scandal.”_

* * *

Kaoru comes back in the evening. By then, Shu has gone through twenty emotional stages, ranging from despair to frantically attempting to use ’The Google’ to find information about ducklings and their care.

By the time Kaoru opens the front door and calls for Shu, Shu’s certain he looks like a wreck. He scrambles to the door to greet Kaoru, and Kaoru is so stunned by the sight of him that he forgets to even set his bags down.

”Kaoru, there’s… there’s…!” Shu doesn’t know how to explain this. ”Dandelion is…!”

”Dandelion? Is there something wrong with her?” Now Kaoru puts down his bags, and steps over them to Shu, eyes suddenly large. ”Is she okay?!”

”Dandelion is a boy!” Shu squeaks.

”W-wait, what?” Kaoru blinks. ”I thought there’s an emergency-”

”It _is_ an emergency!” Shu insists. ”Just follow me, I think I need to – I need to show you…”

He takes Kaoru by the hand and leads him to the backyard, where he closed the shed door to keep the ducklings from running out. Kaoru follows him wordlessly, worry evident in his eyes. But that worry melts away after Shu dramatically opens the shed door and gestures for Kaoru to take in the sight.

”These are…”

”They, they’re Daffodil’s, I think”, Shu explains. _”And_ Dandelion’s. There’s no other explanation for… for…”

”Shu-kun”, Kaoru squeezes at his hand, ”is this why you look so terrified?”

”They’re small, and fragile, and”, Shu wails, burying his head against Kaoru’s chest, ”if you hadn’t come back today, I would have been at a complete loss of what to do.”

”Oh my god”, Kaoru says quietly, and he’s… he’s _laughing._ ”Listen, this isn’t the end of the world.”

”But they’re _children_. What are we going to do with… with _duck children?”_

”Well, they’re our children now”, Kaoru says, and Shu chokes a little.

” _Our…?!”_

”I already call Daffodil and Dandelion our kids, you know”, Kaoru pats reassuringly at Shu’s back. ”Um… well, we do need to figure out what to do with them. But first, we calm down, okay?”

”Okay”, Shu mutters against Kaoru’s shirt. Now that Kaoru is here, and seems to not be as shaken by the ducklings as Shu is, it’s easier for Shu to calm himself. And Kaoru is warm and steady against Shu, so…

”Um, Shu-kun?”

”Mm”, Shu nuzzles closer.

”Nothing”, Kaoru laughs quietly. He wraps an arm around Shu and brings the other to pet his hair. ”I’m home… is all.”

”Welcome home”, Shu replies, allowing the smallest of sighs to escape his lips.

* * *

With Kaoru’s assistance (and internet skills), the next weeks fly past with taking care of a total of six ducklings. For some reason, they take to Shu, a trail of happily chirping ducklings waddling after him whenever they let them roam free on the yard.

(Kaoru _says_ he’s not one bit jealous. He’s lying.)

”Don’t worry”, Shu picks up the duckling that somehow climbed on the top of his head and is now trying to make a nest there, ”you’re still Daffodil’s favourite.”

”But the children…” Kaoru sighs. ”The _babies._ They should love me!”

”They _do_ love you, darling”, Shu laughs. ”Ah… please don’t climb back up there.” His protests fall on deaf ears, and the duckling persistently attempts to get back on his hair. ”Really, this one is _impossible.”_

”That should be _my_ hair”, Kaoru huffs. ”I’m their grandpa.”

”I’m their grandfather, too, you know. Unless you’re claiming sole custody on Daffodil and Dandelion?”

”Well, no…”

”Come here, then”, Shu holds the difficult duckling, who makes a happy sound. ”I’ll exchange this one for a kiss.”

Shu can’t remember a _single_ instance in their relationship where Kaoru would have moved as fast as he now does.


End file.
